Top
Pick. This is a children's book that gets the whole
family thinking. Jon J Muth has reworked a classic tale with
exceptional results. The setting is China, and the goal of the
"tricksters" (three monks) is to learn about--and
spread--happiness instead of deception for personal gain.

This rich story tells the story of Hok, Lok, and Siew--three
monks traveling along a mountain road. The youngest monk, Hok
(named after the Chinese deity symbolizing good fortune and
prosperity), asks the question, "What makes one happy?",
and finds an answer in a little village filled with people who
have lost faith and trust in each other. Villagers kept to
themselves and would not greet the three traveling strangers. Siew,
the older and wiser monk, decides it is time to make "stone
soup". This seemingly odd enterprise at first piques the
villagers' curiosity, and it isn't long before the monks' modest
suggestions for additions to the soup (salt and pepper, carrots,
and so forth) stimulate a whole village to share in the making of
the soup, and enjoy a feast after the rich soup is made. And so it
came to be that "as each person opened their heart to give,
the next person gave even more".

This must-read book is beautifully written and illustrated by
Jon J Muth.